BBNE Blog

It’s hard to believe that we’re halfway thorough the summer season, but there is still time to take advantage of summer travel. I look forward to taking trips and tapping out of the daily hustle. I am one of the few that knows how to disconnect from reality while on vacation. I can even turn my phone off (just for a little while though). However, the days leading up to your summer vacation can be overwhelming when you’re trying to work ahead at your job, because the only way to come back from vacation and not be stressed about work is to plan ahead.

When preparing for a nice break from work you never want to leave too much unfinished. Depending on your type of work it may be difficult to wrap up all matters of business, but at most you should communicate with your team members and parties outside of your organization about your whereabouts, and where you stand on certain projects. Before you pack your bags and think of catchy captions for your Instagram photos--try these simple steps that’ll make your return to work less stressful.

Let your team know you’ll be away in advance: Send a crafted email to your team two weeks in advance, to let them know of your vacation schedule. This will give your team time to prepare accordingly and time to share important details with you before your departure. This will also help you work ahead, so when you return you will not feel burdened with all of the work you’ve missed.

Connect with your contacts outside the office: If you’re job consists of partnering with professionals outside of your office give them a heads up, so they can manage their expectations on when to hear from you again, or to wrap up any unfinished business before you set sail!

Ask for back up while away: Yes, you’re on vacation, but your job is not. Coordinate with a member on your team and see if they would be able to help with your assignments in your absence. The key word is help. It’s good to be respectful of others time. You never want to leave a pile of unfinished business for your team members to figure out, because they still have work of their own. Schedule a meeting with your back up before you leave, to go over details and to see what they can handle in your absence.

Create a well-crafted to-do list: After meeting with your back up document everything you went over, and leave them with all of the details. This should include the necessary login information, phone numbers and emails to specific contacts they may need to be in touch with.

Get going: After you’ve informed all players about your travel plans and projects you should prepare your away messages. Update your automatic email responses and update your office voicemail. Each work-automated response should provide the name, email and office number of your back up.